Japan on Friday launched its Epsilon-4 rocket carrying seven small satellites built by 10 different private-sector organizations and universities, from Kagoshima Prefecture's Uchinoura Space Center, in southwestern Japan.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed that the biggest of the seven satellites aboard the rocket was successfully put into orbit around 50 minutes after the launch, at an altitude of 514 km.

The latest launch comes as new regulations have been put in place to encourage space-related development activities in the private sector.

Friday's launch marked the first time that a rocket of Epsilon series has carried a payload of multiple satellites.